The moment you know
by NegativeBlue
Summary: A map found in August' possessions starts Emma and Regina off on a road trip, leading them to discoveries along the way.


**A/N: **This is a canon divergence fic (loosely) based on a few spoilers that cropped up around the season 4B opener. The Queens of Darkness never make their way to Storybrooke however. Pinocchio never gets turned back into August. Emma broke it off with Hook in 4A, and Robin and Marian left town to be never seen again (this is my sandbox and all)

Basically this is just a fic that consists mainly out of Regina and Emma interacting with each other. It's also my take on the book-author storyline.

**-x-x-x-**

* * *

"Careful with that!" Regina shouted, her eyes quickly flicking back towards the road again.

"Shit, sorry."

The map was quickly tossed onto Regina's lap and she rolled her eyes when Emma grabbed a few napkins from the dashboard and attempted to clean up the worst of the spill from her coffee cup.

"You're lucky most of it landed on your clothes instead, what the hell were you thinking?"

"Says the person driving like a maniac."

"I'm not…" Regina sighed then, moving one hand up to rub at her temples. "Maybe I am a little." She slowed the bug down to a more reasonable speed and flashed a soft smile Emma's way. "I suppose I was hoping we would be able to make it before nightfall but.."

"Yeah, guess it's a bit late for that. And you weren't out of line for scolding me like that either, I figure the map wouldn't have recovered from being doused by a cup of coffee.

She glanced down at the map and only noticed a single wet spot at the very corner of it. Not enough to cause any serious damage to the fabric, but the thought of losing the only lead on the author was still worrying her. "It seems just fine for the time being. Perhaps you should put it back into the bag however, we won't need it again until tomorrow and it'll be safer that way."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

She noticed Emma placing the coffee cup back in the holder from the corners of her eyes before she carefully lifted the map back up.

"You know what I don't get though?"

"Hm?"

"How the hell you're able to read this thing in the first place."

She snorted, giving Emma an amused look. "Because it's circular?"

"More like because everything on it is constantly moving around. I have no idea what I'm even supposed to be looking for."

"Perhaps once we get back I should give you some lessons on how to read magical maps."

"Why make them this complicated though?"

"Because," Regina explained, stifling a sudden yawn behind her hand, "the idea with these is that not everyone is supposed to be able to read it."

Regina had also caught Emma rubbing her eyes on several occasions during the past hour and she had ever since been on a lookout for a place to pull over and stay for the night. They had been taking turns driving for a few hours, but even with that the journey was taking its toll on them. Regina sighed, pulling herself up in the driver's seat and rolled down the window a few inches to let in some air and drew in a few deep breaths.

"You okay? Want me to take over?"

"No I'll be fine, we should reach a hotel soon enough."

She glanced Emma's way only to find her still twisting the map around in her hands.

"Hey, how come this thing still works outside of town by the way?" Emma broke the silence before Regina was able to implore her to put the map away before something happened with it.

"Magic doesn't simply fade away, especially not when it's imbued into something," she explained as she rolled her shoulders. They had finally passed a sign for a hotel which seemed promising enough and Regina allowed herself a relieved smile as she switched the indicator light on."There is actually magic present in this world as well."

"Oh," Emma's eyes had grown big. "I thought I could sense some of it but...wow. So.."

"If you believe you'll be travelling around on a broomstick, while waving around a wand and reciting incantations I'll have to disappoint you dear."

Emma snorted at that, a bemused smile playing around her lips. "Did you really just reference Harry Potter?"

"I was raising a boy who was enthralled by…"

"Yeah right," Emma interrupted her before she could finish and Regina narrowed her eyes, raising an eyebrow at Emma.

"Excuse me?"

"I bet you bought all of the books for yourself and Henry was a convenient excuse. And I'm pretty sure that while reading, you nitpicked them for everything they got wrong about magic."

"Perhaps I was merely intrigued by how the people of this world thought about magic."

She didn't bother mentioning how appalled she had been when she had found out there were so-called magicians performing shows based on trickery instead of actual magic. Especially since there was magic here, though it was too fleeting to be harnessed properly and she wondered how this world had came to be that way.

"So you did read the books." It was a statement, not a question and Emma's smug little smile made Regina want to deny it out of spite alone.

"Yes I did. Watched all of the movies as well. Henry enjoyed them a lot. He.." She smiled wistfully for a moment as she recalled his exuberance when they had a movie-marathon when he was younger. "He spent some time trying to carve a wand for himself and I caught him trying to mimic the incantations used in the books."

Emma said nothing at first, but there was clear emotion shining in her eyes when Regina looked at her; something gentle and undefinable. She flicked her eyes back at the road again, but a lump still lodged itself into her throat at how open and readable Emma was in moments like these.

"When I was still working as a bail bondsperson I used to have these long discussions with a colleague I worked with sometimes. Mostly about the various houses and such. I guess Harry Potter was just a happy place of sorts and there was lots of food for thought in the books." Emma shrugged then, smiling sheepishly as if she was embarrassed by what she had just admitted.

"You'd have made a great Gryffindor."

Emma chuckled, her eyes seemingly dancing along with the light of the neon signs they drove past. "That being the so-called hero's house and all, sure. You would've made a great.."

"Slytherin?" Regina interrupted before Emma could finish.

"No."

She caught Emma's eyes with her own. "No?" She repeated, unable to mask her confusion.

"I figured Ravenclaw would fit better."

Regina snorted. The fact they were having a discussion about this at all was absurd in and out of itself, but she attributed her willingness to go along with it to being exhausted. The distraction was a welcome one, especially because all she wanted to do was flop down on a bed and close her eyes for the next day or so.

"Based on what exactly?" She queried, even as she spied a parking lot that was close to the hotel they would spend the night at.

"Based on..well based on me thinking you wouldn't want to get sorted in Slytherin."

The explanation rendered her speechless, especially because she realized that Emma was right.

"Look, I know it's just Harry Potter lore stuff but I liked that from that universe you know? Not even all people in Slytherin were villains if you think about it. Besides.." Emma grinned broadly. "I figure you would've argued on for days with that sorting hat just to get your point across."

"Well," Regina murmured as she parked the car, letting out a little sigh of relief as she turned the key in the ignition. "I suppose you aren't wrong."

"About which part?" Emma questioned as she undid her seatbelt and opened the car door.

"All of it."

Emma flashed her a soft, tired smile then and they exchanged a look across the roof of the car. A look that made something inside of her twist and turn and she had to avert her eyes again. Because it reminded her of moments in her office. It reminded her of how used she was to having Emma present in her life these days.

They were dangerous thoughts and she rubbed at her temples as if that would suddenly make them vanish again.

"You look as tired as I'm feeling."

"Hmm," she hummed in response as she grabbed their overnight bags.

"You mind if we grabbed some food after we get settled in?"

"Why am I not surprised by that request?" She teased goodnaturedly. They had stopped a few hours ago to eat and while she didn't mind having something warm in her belly before they retired for the night, she was still surprised sometimes by how much food Emma was able to put away.

"Don't start," Emma muttered as she swung one of the bags across her shoulder. "I have a healthy appetite that's all."

"Of course dear. I assume you have some place in mind?"

"Uh huh."

She followed Emma's line of sight to a seedy looking place across the road from the hotel and rolled her eyes. "Definitely not surprised."

* * *

"We'll be able to make it around tomorrow afternoon right?"

"A little nervous aren't we?" Regina remarked as she speared some chicken and took a bite.

She had noticed Emma fidgeting in her chair ever since their food had been delivered. That, and she had been uncharacteristically quiet. After they had placed their orders, Emma had pulled the map out to check it for a moment, before placing it back and retrieving Henry's storybook out of the bag. The expression on her face had been unreadable as she flipped through the pages and even though Regina had been curious, she had opted to stay quiet and leave Emma to her own devices for the time being.

"I.." Emma frowned and snapped the book shut. "I just don't know what to expect is all."

"Are you having second thoughts about accompanying me on this trip?"

"No." The response was immediate and uttered in such a vehement way that it took Regina aback for a moment. "It's not that at all. And I know we've talked about this a few times, but I guess I'm just wondering about what we might find."

"Hopefully some answers," Regina said as she dipped her head and stared at her plate. "I'm not having very high expectations but I'm mostly curious about why that book was written. Someone had to have written down these stories for a reason, wouldn't you say?"

"Not to mention it's a very biased write-up of events," Emma remarked.

"Indeed."

She reached out to snag a fry from Emma's plate when her wrist was suddenly captured mid-air.

"I swear you've eaten more of those than I have. Tell me again why you didn't order some for yourself?"

"I didn't think you would miss a few dear, considering the amount of food you ordered for yourself."

Emma chuckled and thankfully let go of her wrist, though not until her thumb had drawn a few half circles across her skin that made her stop breathing for a moment. There was an odd tension hanging in the air between them and Emma's eyes were practically boring into her own for a few long drawn out seconds. She was the one who broke their staring contest in the end, flicking her eyes to an indentation in the table they were sitting at, in the hopes they would both forget it ever happened in the first place.

But the real worry was that it was happening more and more often and while they never discussed it, she knew Emma was aware of things changing between them as well. She just feared where it would lead. Especially since she no longer knew how to put distance between them. Not like she had been able to before.

"I just like my food."

Something about that made Regina stop herself as she was reaching for the plate one more time. It was said in a slightly defensive tone and Emma had ducked her head down, looking at the fry between her fingers.

Regina pulled back, feeling very self-conscious suddenly and carefully folded up her hands on her lap. "I'm genuinely surprised you are able to taste it at all, considering you usually wolf it down."

She had meant for it to be a teasing remark, but she noticed Emma tensing up right away. The fry Emma had been moving around between her fingers was dropped back onto the plate but her chin remained tucked to her chest, obscuring her features completely. She didn't need to see them to realize something was wrong however.

"Emma?"

"It's a habit," Emma replied, her tone uneven. "I don't even realize I'm doing it half the time." Then she looked up, a weak smile playing around her lips that Regina knew from experience was just a front for how she was really feeling.

"When I was in the system," Emma continued softly, "well, there just never seemed to be enough food and if I didn't eat quick enough other kids would just steal things from my plate."

"Oh," she muttered, a pang of guilt settling in her stomach.

"It's fine you know? I guess it just made me think about food in a different way." Emma shrugged and flashed a sly grin her way. Before Regina could think of a reply, she was startled by Emma suddenly reaching out and wrapping fingers around her wrist again, dragging her hand back to the plate of fries. "Besides, you've been stealing my fries for a long time now, whenever we eat together. I've been kind of ordering extra large portions on purpose since you usually end up eating half of them."

"Have not," Regina huffed out indignantly and popped one of the fries into her mouth. "Though I can portion off some of the fries to my plate if you'd rather.." She was interrupted once more by Emma pulling her hand again towards the fries, smiling and trying not to laugh in the otherwise quiet diner. Emma's hand lingered on top of her own this time, squeezed it gently and Regina looked up to find Emma looking expectantly at her.

"We're good right?"

"We are," she confirmed, unable to mask the slight hitch in her voice.

Her eyes flicked towards Emma's hand, which was moved away from where it had been resting on top of her own. The plate of fries was pushed towards the middle of the table and Emma grinned at her.

"So are you going to help me finish these or not?"

She rolled her eyes, though mostly for show while trying not to smile too obviously. "If I must."

* * *

"Are you sure this is the place?"

"Positive," she answered without a hesitation. Her eyes flicked from the map in her hands to the building in front of them.

"Doesn't look like much."

"Looks can be deceiving, dear."

"Yeah, guess they are."

Though she had to admit Emma had a point, it really didn't look like much. A small run-down bookstore, without even a name, at least none that she was able to discern. Faded brown lettering on the store's only small window proclaimed it was _a bookstore_. And if she looked closely she could see some shelves inside filled with books. The entire store looked just as faded as the letters were. As if it was a remnant from another time, sticking out from the other buildings surrounding it like a sore thumb.

She felt Emma's presence next to her and glanced to the side to catch her eyes. The smile and expression on her face made it clear that Emma was waiting for her to make a move, supporting her without words and Regina felt a little warmth settling in her chest at that realization.

"You know this wouldn't look so out of place in say Diagon Alley or something, but.."

"Well, there is certainly magic involved," she stated without missing a beat. She had picked up on the traces of magic the moment they got within viewing distance of the shop.

"In what way?"

"I'm not sure. I suppose we're about to find out."

She walked up to the door which looked just as out of place as the entire store was. It was made out of brown wood and without a handle to push or pull to open it. The door itself was surrounded by white framework that made it the focus of attention, especially considering the upper half of the shop's exterior had been painted in a faded red-brown color.

When she placed her hand on the crossbeam that intersected the door at waist height, it felt cool to the touch and she frowned.

"Something wrong?" She caught the worried glance cast her way and knew Emma had taken notice of her moment of hesitation.

The door gave way with the smallest amount of pressure exerted, before she was able to respond and her eyes immediately flicked back towards the entrance of the store.

"Looks normal enough," Emma said as soon as they stood inside. "Or well, if you like your bookstores stuck in the 60s, that is."

As she looked around she wrinkled her nose. The store didn't seem very well maintained and she could see the dust gathering on some of the counters against the wall. The only light was exuded by a few lamps in the form of globes that were placed on what little surface wasn't covered by books. It wasn't enough to illuminate the entire store however and the only small window was too dirty and badly positioned to let in any sunlight to help with that fact.

A small counter was placed at the entrance, various stacks of books placed on top of it. There was a dark green upholstered chair behind it that had holes in the fabric and in general looked like it had seen better days. An antique bronze-colored cash register sat at the very edge of the counter, though when Regina looked a little closer she couldn't identify any of the symbols that were inscribed on the buttons.

"You think there's anybody home?" Emma questioned. She was flipping through the pages of one of the books taken from one of the shelves. "Also I have no idea what language this is written in, you?"

She walked over to Emma, careful to not knock over two huge stacks of books that had been placed on the floor near the middle of the store for some reason.

An odd variety of symbols and illustrations were covering the pages of the book Emma was holding and she had to admit she was just as clueless to it's meaning as Emma was herself.

"I've certainly never come across any of these before."

Not even when she had been Rumple's student and she had seen her share of books written in strange languages back then. She looked up from the pages she had been staring at and found that none of the books on the shelf in front of her seemed to be written in a language familiar to her. Some of them also emitted an odd glow, whereas others were made from material she didn't dare guess it's origin.

Suddenly there was a gasp, followed by a shakingly uttered, "Regina," and she turned around lightning fast. Emma was standing in one of the corners of the shop in front of a large table that looked surprisingly clear of both dust and books.

"Emma?" She queried, unable to stop the worry from creeping into her voice, "what did you find?"

Instead of getting an answer, she was met with a raised hand holding up a book with illustrations that looked very familiar to her. When she got closer she noticed the picture was a drawing of Storybrooke.

"Is that.." she let out a soft gasp as she wrapped her fingers around one side of the book. It was the fight they had with Chernabog at the townline only a few weeks ago and she was absolutely stunned as to how that had made it into the book.

"It is, right? How the hell is that possible Regina?" Emma was giving her an incredulous look. She placed the book down on the counter and flipped through the pages until she got to the last one with anything on it. It was a picture of them standing next to the bug, in the street they had parked it at not ten minutes ago. And even as Regina stared open-mouthed at the drawing, letters appeared on the other page.

"It's writing our stories," she managed to stutter out as she took a step back. Her eyes settled on the shelf next to the table, filled with books looking exactly like the one Emma had found. "I don't know how it's possible, but it's recording everything we do. Even now."

"Always so very observant," a voice suddenly rang out behind them, making her heart jump into her throat as she turned around. "But then you would have to be, otherwise you wouldn't be here."

In front of them was a tall dark-haired man, dressed in a grey suit, though he didn't wear a tie along with it. Blue eyes were studying her for a moment, before they switched to Emma standing next to her. There was something about them that gave her pause though, something unnatural that made chills run down her spine.

"I assume you are the author?" She managed to ask on a tone completely devoid of emotions, despite her heart racing a mile a minute.

"No."

"No?" Emma repeated.

"I'm no writer. You are. All of you are."

He grinned at them, and as he did something in the air around them changed and Regina caught the worried glance Emma cast her way. Then he slowly started to walk in a half circle around them, his eyes continuously raking across the both of them. It almost made her feel as if they were being appraised, measured, though for what she didn't know. And she wasn't sure if they should escape the building before they would find out.

"And the books?" She questioned, swallowing thickly as she glanced towards the door that would lead to the outside world.

"What are the words again," he muttered, seemingly completely ignoring the question she had asked him. He stopped his pacing and with a flick of his hand some books flew off the shelves and spun around in a half circle around him. "Observe. I think that's what it's called. I observe, and I collect the stories."

"You can use magic in here?" Emma more stated than asked. Her eyes were huge as she stared at the books that were still flying around in the air.

"We're not where we think we are," Regina said, regarding the man observing her wearily.

"If you are anywhere at all," the man replied, his eyes twinkling in what little light there was in room. "I'm surprised you managed to pass through. But you do have something that helps with that. Something that doesn't belong to you."

Before she was able to react, he rose his hand again, and the map she had carefully placed into the pocket of her jacket suddenly appeared in his outstretched palm.

"Hey!" Emma hissed and she took a few steps forward before Regina was able to stop her. Though she didn't get far before she apparently froze to the ground a few paces away from where the man was standing. Emma's eyes were huge and conveyed her distress as she tugged at her legs.

"Stop that! We don't mean any harm, we just want some answers." She had no idea who this man was, if he was even human at all. But all of the warning bells went off the moment Emma was frozen to the ground. They had no magic here, in this creature's domain, and she had every intention of making it back out of the store in one piece.

"You want answers?" The voice sounded different, more distant. At the same time the air grew colder and goosebumps erupted everywhere on her skin. "What makes you think you'll understand them?"

Their surroundings changed in a blink of an eye and all of a sudden she was standing in a dark void. There was nothing discernible and wherever she looked there was only inky darkness. Regina wondered if they were still in the store, if they had ever been there in the first place. Her heart pounded in her chest as she walked forward, her hands outstretched in an attempt to feel something, anything that would give her a clue as to where she was.

"Emma?!" she called out frantically.

"She isn't here," a voice boomed throughout the void and she clapped her hands against her ears to shield herself from the noise.

"Where is she?"

"Somewhere else." A chuckle and a gust of wind followed in the wake of the words. "I wonder what else you can't see."

"I did not come here to be ridiculed with tricks and riddles," she growled out, her frustration getting the better of her. She was powerless here, at the whims of someone or something she couldn't comprehend. There had been scenarios spinning around in her mind, before they had arrived here. Many different scenarios of meeting whomever had created the book, but none of them had been anything like this.

Another gust of wind and her surroundings changed again. She had to squint her eyes at the sudden bright lights all around her. She was standing in a hallway that seemingly went on forever, and it took a second before she understood where she was. The hallway that lead to countless different worlds where she had travelled to with Jefferson's help.

"A passage. A space where the material is thin and you can travel to more worlds than you can imagine. There are more passages. More places than you could see."

"You travel between worlds?" She was both stunned and in awe.

"I'm never in one of them."

The surroundings changed again and suddenly she was standing back in the store. Though it wasn't the same as before. There were no walls, no doors, just shelves as far as she could see in every direction. And every single one of them was stacked with books.

"What is interesting to me is to see your worlds flow into each other. A few books made into deities, others described as monsters, myths, fairytales. All you need to do is move a little information from one world into another."

"So you do influence some things?" she questioned on a careful tone. She wasn't able to see or sense Emma anywhere and Regina worried about where she might be.

"You think I can influence things I cannot see," the voice boomed again and she cringed at the loudness. "You think that because you were a villain once, that is all you'll ever be."

The man suddenly materialized next to her and she took a few steps backwards in surprise.

"I was merely.."

He vanished and immediately reappeared right in front of her, shocking her into speechlessness.

"You already know you control your own destiny. You have your answers, and I have what was stolen from me." He tilted his head at her, his eyes glowing brightly in a way that was almost hypnotizing in it's intensity. "Sometimes to find something, you have to stop looking."

She wasn't even able to ask him what he meant by that, because a split-second later she felt the familiar sense of being displaced. Only it wasn't her own doing this time around. She found herself next to Emma's car in the street they had parked it at, and sighed a little in relief upon having solid ground beneath her feet again.

"Regina!?" She looked up and saw Emma rushing towards her. A hand was reached for her shoulder and she was grateful for the gesture, her legs were still too wobbly to properly stand up and she had to lean against the car to keep balance. " Holy fuck, what the hell happened in there? I thought you were gone. That guy just kept talking in riddles and wouldn't tell me where you were." Emma's expression grew more concerned and Regina realized she had likely noticed the way she was clinging to the car-door. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I was..I'm not sure actually but it left me disorientated."

"Right," Emma muttered, taking a step backward and removing her hand from where it had been resting. "I had that for a little bit when I got back here. I wanted to run there and go find you, but my vision was spinning and I kept swaying from side to side."

"Where were you?" She asked as she attempted to take a few steps.

"I don't know, some dark place I guess. He kept mentioning that there wasn't anything we didn't already know. Not exactly the answers we were looking for."

Regina followed her line of sight the corner of the street. It would eventually lead them towards the quiet street at which the bookstore had been situated.

"You want to go back?" Emma asked as she turned around and faced her again.

"No. Something tells me that the store wouldn't be there anymore." If it had ever been there in the first place, she added silently. She was starting to realize that the only reason they had been able to find the author was because he had allowed them to.

"So what do we do next?"

"We go home."

* * *

"Even if it didn't turn out like you imagined it would, I'm sure Henry will get a kick out of the stories we can tell him."

Regina chuckled at the imagery those words provided her. "I hope you realize that he will be staying over at your place for the night afterwards, dear." Even when he had been a child she had a hard time getting him to sleep whenever he was excited about something. And while he was growing more and more into a teenager with every passing day, that at least hadn't changed.

"I'm sure we'll be able to find a compromise," Emma responded, laughing softly.

"Maybe it didn't turn out the way I had imagined, no, but this trip wasn't for nothing."

Emma glanced her way, one of her eyebrows raised in silent question, before she focused her attention back at the road.

"I did get some answers," she clarified. She also felt different, though she wasn't able to describe it. Perhaps it was the lifting of a burden; she no longer felt the need to sacrifice everything and anything for this quest on finding the author of the storybook.

"So he told you something useful while we were separated?"

She thought of saying goodbye to Robin at the townline, of wondering if there would always be some greater force at work that made sure she wouldn't be able to get her happy ending. And then she thought of what the entity in the bookstore had told her. Riddles, but she wondered if there was something more to it.

"Perhaps," she said.

Emma smiled and they fell back into comfortable silence.

* * *

Regina's head shot up at the sound of the doorbell ringing. Though before she was able to put the glasses in her hand down on table in the center of her backyard, Henry's voice rang out that he would get it. She wasn't even able to scold him to not run in the house. There was only a flash of brown hair before he had vanished through the door and she rolled her eyes at his exuberance. He definitely did get that trait from Emma.

"Uhm hey," she heard a voice coming from behind her a moment later. Turning around revealed a slightly sheepish looking Emma Swan carrying a brown bag tucked beneath one of her arms. "I'm sorry for getting here this late, the paperwork from that car accident kept me busy."

"I see," she muttered. She kept her features schooled, neutral. It was hard not to think about the fight they had a few days ago. They hadn't been avoiding each other, but she had still given her the cold shoulder every time Emma attempted to talk to her. She wondered if that was the reason Emma had missed their weekly lunch appointment at Granny's and wasn't able to suppress the small bit of guilt she felt at that thought.

Instead of saying anything else, Emma retrieved the bag she had been carrying and extended it towards her. "Peace offer?" Emma said on a slightly subdued tone. She reminded Regina of a kicked puppy in that instant and she sighed and took the bag from her hands without a word.

"Fries?" She murmured as she opened the bag and looked inside for its contents. She had thought she had picked up the scent of fries a while ago, though she hadn't been sure where it had originated from.

"Yeah, I missed our lunch appointment because I figured you weren't there and…"

"You thought I wasn't there?" She interjected right away, slightly stunned at Emma's admission.

"Emma!" She heard Snow's voice ringing out as she came up from behind them. "I'm glad you made it, I was just about to call you, David wouldn't have minded helping you with that paperwork you know?"

"Yeah, I know mom."

She tuned out the rest of the conversation and went inside to grab the pitcher of cider she had prepared earlier that afternoon, taking the fries along with her. It also gave her a moment to herself to think about what Emma had just told her. She wasn't sure how to feel about it. Nor why they had been fighting in the first place. But it had happened a little more often lately and she wondered why this was. Why there was this tension hanging between them that hadn't been there before.

"So you were there?"

She had one hand on the refrigerator-door when Emma spoke up and it made her freeze in place. When she turned around it was to find Emma leaning against the wall, her head slightly bend down in a way that obscured most of her features.

"I was."

"Why? I mean.." Emma's head tilted upwards, her jaw set. "I thought you were mad at me."

"I wasn't mad at you."

"Then what were you?"

"I have no idea what you're…"

"You haven't been yourself since we got back," Emma interrupted her before she was able to finish. Emma's eyes were an intense shade of green as they locked with her own and she found herself unable to look away. "What happened when we got separated over there, Regina?'

"It's not about what happened over there, " she let slip before she could think better of it.

Emma's eyes were still holding hers captive, almost as if she was searching for something and Regina wondered if there was a chance Emma would find it before she herself did. Since she wasn't even able to find the words to describe how she was feeling. How easy it was to have these moments with Emma, only to catch herself eventually and pulling away again. As if subconsciously protecting herself, without wanting to dwell on why this was.

The seconds ticked away and still Emma kept looking at her, eyes flicking back and forth, as if waiting for something. Until she finally pushed herself away from the wall and before Regina was able to respond, Emma had placed a hand on her arm.

"Emma.."

"Look, whatever is going on with you, whatever is…" Emma paused for a moment, her eyes flicking towards where her hand was resting and Regina frowned. "You know you can always talk to me about anything right? I figure we had at least established that?"

"I do know that, and I appreciate.."

"Then why do you keep shutting me out?" Emma asked.

Asked in such an emotionally vulnerable way that Regina's head snapped up to look at her and her heart dropped in her chest at what she found. She only wondered if Emma even knew it herself. Though before she was able to extend a hand to cup Emma's chin, she had already turned around and moved away.

There were only a few steps that separated them, but she thought it might as well be oceans the way Emma's walls shot back up.

"I don't want to fight with you anymore Regina," Emma murmured. "I know I didn't exactly help matters when I yelled at you the other day, but I'm sorry okay? I just want.."

"Just want what, Emma?"

A tentative smile was flashed her way when Emma looked back at her, nervousness overtaking her features as she bit her lip. "I guess I just want things to go back to the way they were."

"Is that really what you want?"

She wondered if Emma understood her question. But Emma looked puzzled, her mouth opened slightly as if to say something, but words never rolled across her lips.

"Moms?!"

"In the kitchen, Henry," she yelled, though her gaze never wavered from studying the myriad of emotions passing across Emma's face.

"You know gramps was just going to start a search party," Henry said as he walked into the kitchen. Regina watched as his eyes darted between Emma and her, his eyebrows knitting into a frown. "Are you guys..."

"We're fine," she interrupted him before he could finish. She didn't want to worry him too much, since there was no doubt in her mind he had picked up on the strained relationship between herself and Emma, but she also didn't want to discuss this while he was present to witness the possible fallout.

"Um, okay?"

He didn't seem too convinced, not that she could blame him. It didn't help matters that Emma found some imaginary lint on her shirt more interesting than attempting to reassure Henry that nothing was going on.

"I assume Snow sent you in here to trace us down?" She asked in an attempt to steer the conversation away from the thick tension hanging in the room.

"She was worried that there would be none of the cider left if you were left alone with it much longer."

Regina snorted in response. "Of course she did." She turned to face Emma, a bemused smile on her lips. "We should really remind your mother that I've consistently offered up my residence to house her bi-weekly family gatherings. I wouldn't have any qualms to move it to her apartment instead, especially since she's the one that always ends up drinking most of my liquor."

"Probably not a good idea," Emma replied, seeming more like herself to Regina's great relief. "There's nothing in her liquor cabinet that's even remotely drinkable."

"Well that explains some things at least." She shook her head and walked over to the refrigerator to grab the pitcher of cider.

When she turned around, Henry and Emma were already walking to the doorway leading to the backyard and she took a deep steadying breath before following after them.

* * *

"Root beer?"

Regina smiled as she placed the bottles on the table. "It seemed appropriate considering the situation."

"Well _considering _my mother drank most of the cider, I don't think getting drunk was going to be an issue tonight," Emma replied smoothly. Her head dropped back down as she flipped through the pages of the book on her lap.

"Something in particular you're looking for in there?" She inquired as she opened up both of the bottles before sitting down opposite of Emma.

"Not really. Just some things on my mind."

Emma's head tilted upwards and Regina caught her eyes for a moment, before she casted them back down again and it made her wonder what was troubling Emma. She didn't ask however, comfortable in the knowledge that whatever it was, Emma would likely share it if given enough time to mull things over. It was an approach that had worked out just fine for them both in the past, though she wasn't so sure if this would still be the case. Things had changed a lot in what seemed to be a very short time.

"I still remember when Henry first showed me this book, you know?" Emma spoke softly after she had flipped a few more pages. "It all just seemed so ridiculous to me. It still does sometimes I guess, especially if I think about it just a little too long."

Emma didn't look up from the book as she spoke. Though Regina wasn't sure if she was actually looking at anything that was in the book, or if she was just reminiscing while staring at some fixed point. The light exuded from the fireplace casted dancing shadows across her visible features as she played with the corner of one of the pages.

"It's just so weird, especially since we know that this isn't the only one. That there's still books being written about our lives and likely many others, as well." Emma chuckled as she finally closed the book and placed it on the table. She grabbed the bottle Regina had placed in front of her and took a big gulp from it. "I guess our shenanigans in this town might be the stories told to children in another realm."

Regina almost choked around a mouthful of root beer as Emma spoke. "Dear God, I would hope not. You would be a terrible influence on them."

She got a glare as reward and smiled sweetly in response.

Emma looked past her for a moment, her expression becoming more serious as she rolled the bottle between her fingers. "This wasn't why you asked me to stay was it? With Henry sent off to go to my parents place for the night."

"No I asked you to stay because I thought we needed to talk. Without any outside interruptions."

"Right." Emma's head dropped down as she sighed dejectedly. Then she abruptly stood up from the couch and walked towards the fireplace. "I assume you want to talk some more about our fight the other day then?"

"That's one of the things." Regina said softly as she placed the bottle on the table again. She knew Emma likely needed her space, especially considering the conversation they were about to have, but still a part of her wanted nothing more than to stand up and walk up to her.

"One of them.." Emma repeated on a barely audible tone. Her back was turned towards Regina however and she had no idea what Emma was thinking, had no read on her emotional state. It only served to increase the urge to stand up and force Emma to look at her while they talked to each other.

"Why did you agree to stay Emma?"

"I'm not sure what you mean?" She couldn't see it, but Regina was able to practically hear the frown in Emma's voice.

"I think you do."

This time she didn't hesitate to stand up from the chair and walk over to Emma. And Emma's response was immediate. She turned around and backpedalled slightly, in an attempt to keep enough distance between them, but Regina would have none of it. She closed the space between them and reached out with one of her hands. As she did, she expected Emma to flinch or pull away, but to Regina's great surprise she did none of that. In fact, Emma was standing completely still, her eyes downcast, even when Regina slowly traced along one of her cheeks with the pads of her fingers.

"You can sense this too, can't you? Whatever is between us, whatever keeps making us fight. And we've never really talked about it. We apologize and we're.." She hesitated, swallowing thickly when, despite the pressure she was exerting on her jaw, Emma stubbornly refused to meet her gaze. Emma's eyes were closed and she was breathing shallowly, the only sign that she was affected was the increasing speed of the heartbeat drumming away beneath her fingertips.

"We're fine for a while. But we don't talk about it," she murmured. "And I think I'm..I'm done pretending that we're fine like this, Emma. I'm done pretending that there's nothing between us."

"Regina.."

It was a shaky exhale and then Emma's eyes opened. And Regina wondered if there was any moment that could surpass this in the future. That could surpass watching Emma unravel right in front of her eyes. Because she was captivatingly beautiful like this. Her eyes shimmering along with the light of the fireplace as their eyes locked. Emma's lips opened slightly as if to say something, but all that came out were soft puffs of breath. Then her eyes drifted, down, to her lips, Regina thought. But instead of leaning in, Emma suddenly pulled away and Regina felt the moment between them had been broken instantly.

"Emma.." she tried, knowing before she even uttered her name, that it was likely a futile attempt.

Instead of saying anything, Emma just looked at her for a long moment. Her expression was unreadable, but as always Emma's eyes gave her away. It was enough to give her some hope that they could continue this another day, after Emma had some time to process things. And it was enough for her to turn around; not wanting to watch as Emma walked away, though the sound of the front door closing still tore right through her.

* * *

The loud ringing noise of her doorbell made Regina bolt upright in her bed. Rubbing at her eyes, she cursed when the ringing persisted. It was alternated with loud knocks that made her groan as she slipped out of bed. Sliding into a pair of slippers and grabbing her bathrobe from the chair next to her bed, she continued to mutter out a variety of expletives every time the doorbell was pressed.

"Good grief," she hissed as she made her way down the stairs. "I am going to wring your neck, Emma Swan." Since there was no doubt in her mind as to who it was that was standing at her doorbell at 2 o clock in the morning. There was also no doubt in her mind that any possible prospect of catching any sleep was likely lost by now. And the thought made her gnash her teeth as she rushed towards the door.

"You do realize this could've waited until this morning?" she growled as she tugged at the belt of her bathrobe.

Emma, to her credit, at least seemed a little taken aback by her outburst, and Regina sighed and rubbed at her temples. She looked disheveled, eyes slightly puffy, almost as if she had been crying. It was enough at least for her to tamp down on her anger completely, especially when she thought of the moment when Emma had left her house just hours ago.

"I didn't mean to.." Emma started. Her jaw was clenched and her lips were trembling. Both of her hands were stuffed in the pockets of the jeans and she looked lost, emotionally drained. It made Regina wonder what she looked like herself, especially since it had taken her a long time to be able to settle down enough and try to sleep.

"I never left."

She stared at Emma, not understanding right away what she was trying to say.

"I wanted to. I ran and I.." Emma pushed against the door, taking her by surprise. They were suddenly face to face and she swallowed at the sudden display of confidence as Emma cornered her against the wall.

"W-what are you trying to.."

"Say?" Emma interrupted. Her eyes were dark and wild, a stark contrast to the way she had looked moments before. It was enough to make her mouth run dry.

"That I couldn't run. That I've never been able to run from you. From this," Emma whispered. And before she was able to say anything in reply Emma leaned in and kissed her.

"Emma.." she gasped in between kisses.

She felt completely off kilter; the way Emma was staring at her. Regina had seen that look in her eyes before, though she had never realized what it meant in the past. And now that she did, it made her heart hammer in her chest and heat pool in her belly. She wondered how long they had been working their way towards this moment, and she wondered how long they had both been too occupied with other things to see what was right in front of them all along.

Another kiss, and then Emma captured her lower lip between her teeth and she moaned, one of her hands fisting in Emma's hair.

"I know..we," Emma panted, detouring to nip at her jaw and Regina's eyes slipped shut at the sensory overload. "We need to talk. Again." Emma chuckled softly and Regina took the opportunity to kiss her deeply, stopping her from talking momentarily.

"It can wait," she managed to say as she pushed them both away from the wall and steered them towards the stairs.

* * *

"I'm still sorry you know?"

"Hmm?" she murmured. Her eyes were drooping and she had a hard time focusing on anything Emma was saying. But the word 'sorry' did manage to penetrate the haze she had found herself in ever after they had landed in bed together.

"For running, not for.."

She turned her head slightly to find a sheepish Emma Swan attempting to avoid her gaze. But just as sudden the expression on her face changed and Regina felt Emma's eyes rake across her mostly naked body. It made a new gush of wetness pool between her legs, despite the sated feeling she had been basking in moments before.

The sheets rustled and Emma slid on top of her, propping herself up on one elbow and kissing her slowly, deepening the contact for only a moment before she pulled back again.

"I didn't mean to hurt you by running like that," Emma said softly as they stared into each other's eyes.

"It's fine dear," she replied as she traced circles on the skin of Emma's arm. "I didn't take it as a rejection. I've known you long enough to understand that sometimes the best course of action is to give you some time and space."

"When did you figure it out?" Emma asked and rolled onto her side on the bed, still keeping one of her legs slung possively over Regina, a gesture that made her raise one of her eyebrows.

"That I was in love with you?" It felt odd to say the words out loud and she looked away from Emma as she did. Fingers cupped her chin and forced her to face back towards Emma and meet her penetrating gaze. "I don't know actually. I don't think I realized until after we got back from our roadtrip. I couldn't stop...looking, wanting, I didn't really understand until I saw that look you gave me in the kitchen. I had seen that look before Emma. And it had always been from you."

"Oh."

Emma was silent for a while, a pensive look on her face.

"I've never really believed in there being a moment where you know that you're in love with someone but.. I think there was one a while back that still changed things for me." Emma smiled in a way that almost made Regina wish she could've witnessed that particular moment. "We had one of our lunch meetings and I cracked a really silly joke but it somehow still made you laugh."

"I think I remember that one."

"Before that, I had always found you beautiful, but in that moment you were utterly captivating to me. Your whole face lit up, Regina and you looked so happy, carefree. And I felt like the floor dropped out from underneath me. It changed things. It made me over think things, analyze them until it exhausted me."

"And caused our fights," she added as she looked right at Emma.

"Yeah...I guess it did. I think it was easier to get into a fight with you than to talk about what was really building up between us."

"It was," she agreed. She leaned in to kiss Emma sweetly on the mouth for a moment before pulling back after a quick nip along her lips. "I think the roadtrip and the encounter with the author did help put a few things in motion."

"Hmm," Emma hummed. One of her hands was resting against her cheek and Regina nuzzled into it, sighing contently.

All of a sudden Emma jolted away and grabbed the sheets, covering them both as quickly as she was able to.

"Emma?" She questioned, not sure if she should be amused or alarmed by Emma's strange behavior. "What are you doing?"

"Covering us up?" Emma muttered as her eyes darted around the bedroom. "You know that book thing? I wouldn't want to get this particular bit to make the pages if that book is to remain PG and all."

Regina snorted. "Truly dear, your parents conceived you, and them having se..hmphh." A hand was clapped across her mouth before she was able to finish speaking.

"Don't even think about finishing that line of thought," Emma growled, a look of utter disgust on her face. "I'm serious Regina, unless you want to pay the bills for my therapy sessions with Archie for the next decade or so, just don't, okay?"

She rose an eyebrow and gently pried Emma's fingers away. "Okay," she said, chuckling softly when Emma hid her face in her hands and groaned.

"But I got your point. So I guess not everything makes it into the books."

"I assume not. It might just be key events. For example our fight with Chernobog at the townline, and our encounter with the author himself."

"I wonder how it works then," Emma questioned out loud. Regina watched as she plopped her head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. "For example," Emma continued as she ticked off things on her fingers. "If this new book starts when you cast the curse, then I guess it would have our first meeting in it. So it starts off with two people not liking each other."

When she raised her eyebrow at Emma's description Emma shrugged. "Okay maybe that's putting it lightly. But those are typical tropes though. Two people start of in a bit of an antagonizing way. Though they do usually have at least one thing in common. Then they grow closer over time, especially when they are forced to work together sometimes. So you have a few chapters of will they won't they, a few mandatory chapters of angst. And then the, uh, climax?"

She gently swatted Emma at that particular line. "You are ridiculous."

Emma laughed, a rich melodious sound that filled the room and made her heart flutter.

"So maybe not a climax."

"Happy ever after?" She said, not sure why she was indulging Emma in this, though it reminded her of their talks about the Harry Potter books during their road trip and the thought made her smile.

"Could be, I suppose I'd prefer a fade to the black."

"You are forgetting one thing though?"

"Sure?"

"An epilogue."

* * *

She watched as Emma placed a stack of dvds on the coffee table before turning towards her and kissing her quickly.

"Sorry I'm late, but a certain Mayor of this town stacked me with paperwork today."

"Oh truly now?" She scoffed, " need I remind you a certain Sheriff filed all of said paperwork in a sloppy and incorrect way."

"You're never going to cut me any slack are you?"

"Should I?"

"Probably not," Emma said, chuckling as she turned towards Henry who had appeared in the doorway.

"Ma, so you did make it after all." He turned towards the coffee table and rose an eyebrow at Emma. "Really, Harry Potter, again? We just watched these last week."

She opened her mouth to say something but got beat to it by Emma.

"Not a word Regina. And you," she narrowed her eyes at Henry.

"I'll go make some popcorn," he muttered, eyes wide. He made a beeline for the kitchen before she was able to get in a word.

"Last week?" She queried with feigned interest.

Emma groaned and plopped down on the couch. "I'm fine with watching something else, if you want."

"No, Harry Potter is just fine dear." She swallowed and fished around in the pocket of her jacket, extending her hand towards Emma, with the shiny key sitting in the palm of her hand.

"What's that?" She gave Emma a mock-exasperated look. "I mean, okay, I know what it is, but.."

"I figured you've been spending more time here than at your own apartment lately and.." She hesitated, suddenly slightly self conscious about her offer. "You don't need to decide anything right away, but I figured having this key could come in handy at times."

"I like having my own place, something all to myself. You're right though, I have been spending most of my time here these past few months. But I.."

"Take your time," she said, as she sat down next to Emma and pulled her in for a soft kiss.

"Thank you," Emma murmured, smiling, the pads of her fingers tracing patterns across her cheek as they looked at each other for some time.

"I guess I better put in the first of these," Emma continued after a moment, grabbing hold of the first of the dvds she had placed on the table. "At least if we're still planning to finish it tonight, considering how late it is already."

She glanced at her watch and frowned. "Well at least Henry doesn't have school tomorrow, so that shouldn't be a problem."

"Hmhm," Emma hummed as she crouched next to the dvd-player. "You know there is one good reason for me to move in with you though."

Little lights were dancing in Emma's eyes as she looked at Regina, and there was a mischievous smile playing around her lips that almost certainly meant she was walking straight into a conversational trap. She sighed and still asked the question against better judgement. "And what would that be?"

"Your tv is ten times the size of mine?"

She grabbed the nearest couch pillow and flung it at Emma's head.


End file.
